Roberto Vañecek Fly Tying Instructions

Black Ghost
originated by Herbert ‘Herbie’ L. Welsh, 1927

Not just one of the most beautiful streamers out there, but also one of the most effective ones.

Materials:

Hook: streamer  4XL, #1 al #8 (#2 in this case)
Thread: Danville's Flymaster 6/0, black
Tail: Yellow dyed rooster saddle fibers
Body: Black silk floss with an optional silver tinsel or flashabou underbody
Rib: Silver flat tinsel (medium)
Throat: Yellow dyed rooster saddle fibers
Wing: White rooster saddles (4) -There are also versions using bucktail hair, fox hair or even marabou for the wing, specially the modern versions-
Cheekss: Junglecock nails (There are versions without these)
Head: Black thread, lacquered.

This fly is usually tied unweighted

Tying sequence:

1. Start the thread doing an "open bed" along all the shank.

2. Tie in the yellow saddle fibers for the tail. I do this cutting a V shaped section of the feather, this will provide me a long stem to tie it along the whole shank, it will not only provide a strong tying but also help to for a smooth humpless body. Present the stem on the hook shank and hold it with a soft turn of thread, pull the stem until the fibers adopt the desired tail shape.

3. Tie in the tinsel on the back side of the hook.

4. Run the thread forward and tie in a strand of flashabou for the underbody.

5. Cover the shank with the flashabou just the same way a tinsel body is ought to be done, starting from the eye to the bend and back with perfectly sided turns, avoiding any hump or overlap.

6. Tie in the silk floss. I like to use the silk used for embroidery.

7. Go back and forward with the floss and secure the end.

8. Now we do the ribbing taking good care to make even turns. If desired can varnish the body, I like this not only to improve the shine but also to help on the fly durability and provides a smoother surface when it is in the water.

9. Tie in the saddle fibers to make the throat.

10. Tie in the wing by positioning the two pairs of feathers facing the concave sections in order to form a razor shaped fin. Once this is done, tie in the Jungle Cock nails and finish by doing a nice head. I like to apply several lacquer layers to obtain a glass like effect.

Sadly, as Murphy's Law says, if anything can fail it will fail, I had shot several photos while setting the wing and cheeks but they did not come out as expected, sorry.

Thanks for reading!

Rob

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